Embossing mat?? HELP!!

Aug '04

FWIW, I use a mat made for quilters that has a padded side for ironing small items and a self healing cutting mat on the other. Its 12"x12". I have pinned items to the padded side so I can blast them with my superindustrial craftsman heat gun without blowing them to the other side of the room.

I have also embossed items on the cutting mat side with no sign of melting.

It is made by June Tailor.
KJ

Aug '04

Ok maybe I'm strange but I always use a wooden cutting board when I work ....its like my special work surface ....I have old fashion scrapbooks (ya know with the brown pages) I tear these pages out and use them to cover my board - that way if I'm sloppy with the glue ...I can throw the paper away and not get everything messy. Also by always working on the cutting board I don't worry about missing the mat when using the eyelet setter and I've never melted anything when using the embossing gun.

Aug '04

I have embossed on my CM mat and it is fine. Maybe the shrinky dink stuff takes longer to melt than the embossing powder does. That might make the mat melt.

Aug '04

I use a glass cutting board that I got at Wal-mart for 5.00. It works like a charm
Staci

Aug '04

I use a piece of wood that was left over from an old desk I tore apart. It's kind of huge but I use the embossing gun, the hole punch and the eyelet setter on it and if it gets a little banged up I'm not too worried since it's scrap anyway. But I was kinda hoping to use that under my Xmas tree this year to provide a flat surface. So, I really like the idea of the quilters mat. I'm gonna have to check that out. That way I can scrap and have a xmas tree that doesn't tip over.

I love heat embossing but I'm having problems with melting everything!

I've tried using my CM mat, but I melted and warped it.

I've tried using the plastic trays that gathers up your glitter/beads etc., but I melted and warped that too.

I tried a cookie pan, but I burnt my table under the pan!

I tried my plastic cutting board, but now I have a round melted and warped part in the middle of my cutting board and my table cloth (which is made of plastic) melted onto my table!

My family is talking about banning me from using the dining table anymore! (The dining room is the only room with AC!!)

Please help!! What can I use that doesn't melt or warp or burn my table underneath?

What does everyone else use?

thanks!

I dont use anything... I usually hold what I am embossing, and it never takes long enough to melt anything anyhow. What if you tried folding a towel in half and using that??? Good luck.

I have heard some people say they use a piece of wood, which would probably work great as long as it was a little bit thick.
I use one of the things you put on your table to set hot pans on? Not sure what it is called but it works perfect for me. I scrap at my kitchen table and I haven't damaged it yet (knock on wood!!!!)lol.
I'm sure some other people can give you more advice too.
Good luck!!

The hotplate idea is great!

I have a embossing gun holder that allows holds the gun while I am embossing. I got from my LSS and it's made out of wood.

The hotplate idea is great!

A piece of tile would withstand the heat like a charm.

Wow - I never heard of needing anything underneath. I didn't think you held the gun close enough or in one place long enough to melt anything.

I either hold my work up or put it on the countertop.
The only thing I ever melted was a plastic slide mount I tried to emboss

--dumb idea!

I agree with the suggestions of a wooden cutting board or piece of tile. Buy a piece of tile at Home Depot and glue felt or cork to the back to keep it from marring your surface. Or maybe try a glass cutting board?

I have a magazine wrapped in tinfoil that I put on a clipboard.

I can clip small items to the clipboard, and having the tinfoil underneath is SUPPOSED to distribute the heat more evenly.

I've never thought of a hotplate or wooden cutting board! I'm going to see if I can go to the $1 store and pick some up!

I've been playing a lot with the shrink plastic so that's what's causing me to burn and melt everything! (I've found that I love making die cuts with it and then tossing it into a shaker!)

thank you so much for all of the suggestions!

another thing you might want to consider is called a silpat -- a flexible mat that's normally used for baking. i had a huge one that i cut in half and it works perfectly, since it's heat resistant but also has somewhat of a grip to it so stuff doesn't blow around as much as on a plain flat surface...

Silpat? Is it made of plastic? Like a cookie sheet?

Silpat is made of silicon & can withstand heat, you bake cookies & stuff on it, in your cookie sheet (keeps things from sticking & can be used over & over)..

I hold my stuff in my hand or with my Pampered Chef Bamboo tongs (they work great)

YOu can get Silpat at cooking stores and stuff like that. It is a flexible plastic that is fairly thin. You put in a cookie sheet. It isnt a cookie sheet...

I just hold the item with a clothespin and heat it from the bottom with my embossing gun.

What about pyrex glass?

I have come to the conclusion that I maybe shouldn't play with the embossing gun anymore. I just came home from buying a new table cloth that will "hopefully" hide the new burn on the kitchen table!

(Last month, I put a huge dent in the table with my eyelet hammer b/c I completely missed the eyelet and mat--okay, it was because I was trying to set several eyelets at the same time...I had to buy a new tablecloth back then too...(our old one was clear).)

Thanks for the info on silpat...I'm going to my cookware store tomorrow and check it out. It sounds like that might be my best option because it's BIG!!

wish me luck that no one sees the new burn! hee hee

Quote:

Kate77 said:
I have a magazine wrapped in tinfoil that I put on a clipboard.

I can clip small items to the clipboard, and having the tinfoil underneath is SUPPOSED to distribute the heat more evenly.

This is what I was going to suggest. My SU consultant always burned/warrped things and this worked like a charm for her.